Claudia: By devil-child hand or else by none

[moonshadows]

In the dim near-silence of Hugo Miller's abandoned lab, a machine hummed to life. The antiquated equipment finished booting up, triggering the external hard drive which whirred softly as it leaped to obey the request for information. A few moments later, the image of a tall, thin man with a sour expression flickered into existence and frowned at the young woman staring intently at him.

"Why, Miss Donovan. I was under the impression that I would remain deactivated for quite a while longer, yet it appears you haven't aged more than a year or two. To what do I owe the pleasure?" He smiled winningly, falsely, and she ignored it.

"I need your help, James."

The smile gained a bitter sharpness. "And what makes you think, dear child, that I'll give it?"

Claudia said evenly, "Because you still care what happens to your old partner."

The lean, older man sobered. "What's happened to Arthur?"

In other circumstances, she would have exulted in her psychological win. But in other circumstances, her almost-father couldn't have been mistaken for an extra on Invasion of the Body Snatchers. "I don't know, except that he's been whammied somehow. Compromised by an artifact," she clarified. "He's been acting...off. Knowing things without giving a long, rambling explanation for how he knows them, acting secretive, and when I checked the artifact removal log? He'd taken Bobby Fisher's marbles out, mailed them to Hugo Miller, and then sent me and Pete to retrieve them. Acted like he didn't know it was the marbles he was sending us to get."

James MacPherson frowned. "That's most concerning."

"I'm glad you agree. So, will you help me?"

"I believe I can put aside my resentment long enough to discuss the possible causes of Arthur's unusual behavior." He paused. "If you trust me that much, of course."

Claudia's gaze didn't waver. "I trust that you care about Artie, even if I don't trust you."

A small, tight smile flickered across holographic features. "He's taught you well. Now, my dear, tell me when he started acting off..."

 

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"An evil of his own making..."

"...that will live with him the rest of his days," Claudia finished grimly. "But there's more. I went back over the security logs and he went into the Dark Vault, but didn't take anything out and the only thing he touched was that big stone pillar."

James's expression suddenly gained the intent hunger of a hawk sighting prey. "There's a secret compartment in that pillar. Hugo Miller used to keep his stash in it."

The revelation shook Claudia momentarily out of her somber mood. "Wait, he used to smoke pot in the Dark Vault? That's..." Words failed her, so she made faces instead.

"I agree," said James, dryly. "In retrospect, it is quite unsurprising that he wound up as he did. But the fact remains: there is a secret compartment, and I believe that is where Arthur hid the astrolabe. Take the utmost care in handling it, Claudia. It was hidden by the Brotherhood for a reason."

She nodded. "I brought the big guns in on this."

"Mrs. Frederic?" Holographic eyebrows arched. "Have you told her about my ...involvement?"

"Would it make a difference to you either way?" Claudia shot back, and smothered a spike of glee as the older man look momentarily wistful. There was a silver lining in this dark cloud after all.

"No," he sighed, looking disappointed and slightly bewildered. "I suppose not. Nor, I suspect, would you have been able to make contact with the Brotherhood of the Black Diamond so quickly without her. Nevertheless, I'm afraid that given what you've described of Arthur's behavior, the 'evil' he's created is, somehow, inside him."

Claudia grimaced as she prepared to power the projector down again. "I was afraid you'd say that. I'm off to grope a pillar; I'll power you back up once I've got something."

"Good luck," James said softly as he flickered out.

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"No!"

Although only a holographic projection, James looked so blackly furious that Claudia took a step back.

The former Warehouse agent reined himself in. "No. I will not accept that there is no way to save Arthur. You said he's been doing research - have you any idea what he's looking for?"

"He's been covering his tracks. Anyone else wouldn't even have known he's searching."

"But you do."

She allowed herself a moment of smugness at the flattery, then remembered her suspicion. "He knows how good I am. There's traces he's left that he shouldn't have. They wouldn't mean anything to anyone else, random Point C data. But I've got Point A, and I can infer point B." She bit her lip briefly. "I think he wants me to find it. Either that, or The Evil is strong enough to do things without him being aware of it, and it's underestimating me."

"Strange that both possibilities offer the same glimpse of hope. What did you find?"

Claudia held up the laptop. "A dagger. Who had it, where it is, what it does...I don't know that yet, but I've got a search program running. I've also got a keylogger running. He's been very careful, but that Point C data means there's a chance I can piggyback on his research."

Silently, James paced within the tiny confines of the projector's range. "Not just research. We were partners for fifteen years, and my ploy with the Masamune proved that we can still predict each other. When he finds what he is looking for, he will distract you. You must find out what he plans and figure out how to counter it before he finds that dagger."

 

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The instant Claudia touched the dagger, she knew what it did - and what had to be done.

Before her, The Evil tossed that unnatural blossom into the air and smiled that he - it? - had won, and then released Artie so that he could enjoy the sensation of crippling defeat. Hate, whispered the dagger as she adjusted her grip without realizing what she was doing. Hate, not for the sinner, but for the sin. Bleak, unwavering, resolute hatred, the denial of the sin's very existence. The artifact would not activate for anything less, and she became the blade.

Artie met her eyes, resignation and acceptance and sorrow that nearly shook her faith - but only for a moment. Then she raised the dagger and lunged, even as voices shouted her name, every iota of her being crying I cast you out!

Claudia struck. The dagger connected with The Evil, and she was plunged into a brutal battle with the astrolabe. Her will grated against its, but she was the co-Caretaker and she called upon all the strength available to her. With a piercing scream unheard by any ear, The Evil was cast out, erased from existence, leaving Artie's wounded soul as the only proof it had ever been there.

Artie's soul, and the Chinese Orchid plunging gently towards the floor, but Claudia didn't see that. All she saw was the defeat on Artie's face, the knowledge of what he had done shattering his heart, despair draining away his will to live. Claudia's blade of will evaporated, leaving her to press herself against his chest and weep as he sank to the floor, muttering reassurances no one could hear.

=========================

 

"When we first met, you were all set, but me I was a wreck." Claudia swallowed and kept singing. "You picked me up and cleaned me up and taught me self-respect. Made a mistake but didn't break because I need you so. You fell apart but in your heart I know you can't let go."

Don't let go. Don't leave me like my parents, like my sister, like Josh.

Artie didn't stir. He lay like the dead - don't think that, don't think that - like a bump on a log with the dagger of exorcism sticking out of his chest and his glasses crooked on his nose. With the hand not holding his, she carefully removed them.

"You lived the day a second way but you slipped up again. Kept it inside, you had to lie so that we would be safe. I got too close, I knew the truth, I know you had to know. And now you leave me, but believe me, I just can't let go!" Voice and resolve both broken by the tumultuous emotions flooding her, she squeezed his hand and whimpered softly. The storm of weeping had passed, but remnants of the same winds still gusted through her.

Myka came up beside her, a comforting hand on her shoulder. "He'll be okay. Just hang in there, Claud."

She wasn't so sure that he would, but the words wouldn't squeeze past the lump in her throat, so she just nodded.

"Our ride will be here shortly. The emergency personnel said he's stable, he's just..." The hand on Claudia's shoulder tightened, but no words came out.

"Mykes."

Claudia had never been so happy to hear Pete sounding somber. The hand retreated, Myka retreated, and Pete sank into an each crouch next to her.

"I know what you're feeling," he said simply, and it was the truth. "I'm not going to lie, I've got a bad vibe. But it's better than when my dad died, so I think...he'll be okay, but only if everything goes right. Don't give up hope, Claud. Fight with him. If anyone can do it, you can."

"Thanks," she whispered.

It was going to be a very long, very quiet flight.

 

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In some unknown hour of the day- time got weird when flying over an ocean for the second time in twenty-four hours, and especially with the application of lots of caffeine - Claudia jerked awake out of something that was fortunately more surreal than prophetic, but still a nightmare. The schway government plane Adwin Kosan had finagled to get them back to the states had a couch towards the back, and it was there that Artie's stretcher had been secured. In the dimly-lit cabin - Pete, Myka, and Steve were all crashed out, regardless of what the sun was or was not doing outside - she crept down the generous aisle and slipped her hand into the black carpet bag that was as familiar to her as its owner's scowl. The stethoscope was right where she expected it to be. It had been the first artifact he'd let her use, since all it did was translate physical state to sound and there was no downside. She'd spent hours listening to every object she could get its chestpiece on, learning the sounds of ordinary objects and listening to the music of artifacts. On more than one occasion, she'd used it on Artie himself after being woken by nightmares, sneaking into his room to press the breath-warmed metal against his hand and listening to the looping, swooping tune of his energy.

Now, of course, she knew that it had been used by a doctor to diagnose patients with ailments that medical science couldn't detect at the time. She'd known it so long, in fact, that it had become something she'd taken for granted. The nightmare which had disturbed her sleep made her remember, and it wasn't for her own comfort that she now breathed on the small circle and pressed it to the back of Artie's hand. The music was there, just as she remembered, but...

Claudia frowned. There were...gaps, spaces of silence or static. She moved the chestpiece to different places on his body, but the sound didn't change. It was like playing Rock Band with someone who was spectacularly bad at it; there were dropped notes all over the place, sometimes in strings that would have failed the band member and killed the whole song.

I cast you out!

The stethoscope dropped from trembling fingers as she put two and two together. Frantic, but still as quiet as she could be, she tucked the artifact back in Artie's bag and dug out her laptop. Rashly, she'd left James running before chasing his possessed ex-partner across an ocean. Sure, it was a risk. Someone might stumble into the lab and see him, see the monitor and webcam just waiting for a session to be initiated, but who was there to stumble? Mrs. Frederic already knew about him, the Regents had no reason to visit the Warehouse, and Leena was more than likely busy putting the IRS Quartum to rights after The Evil had trashed it looking for the orchid. So it was a calculated risk, discovery weighed against the greater chance that Claudia would need quick access to her still-volatile co-conspirator.

While the session was connecting, she slipped the bluetooth headset on. Having Pete or Myka recognize the voice on the other end was the second-to-last thing she wanted right now.

“Claudia?"

"Listen close, I have to be quiet."

"Where are you?"

"Somewhere over the Atlantic. Listen, we found him, we found the dagger, but he got to the orchid first. We need a way to reconstitute that thing within the next-" she checked her watch and did a quick calculation "-twenty hours and thirty minutes."

MacPherson nodded grimly. "And what of Arthur?"

"It worked, The Evil was expelled."

"Then why don't you look happy?"

"I think it wasn't something foreign that was possessing Artie. I think it was part of him that was warped by the astrolabe, and when I expelled it..."

"Parts of Arthur's mind were erased from existence."

She nodded, feeling like a child again. "What are we going to do? He's not waking up."

James paced for a few moments. "Sigmund Freud's clock. Find a way to hook me up to it. When you get back, we'll use it to travel into Arthur's subconscious and assess the damage, possibly even communicate with him."

"Well," she sighed, "I guess figuring that out will give me something to do until we land. Thanks, James."

"Claudia..." The projection looked wistful. "I understand that it's dark, but could I see him?"

Silently, she hefted the laptop and tilted it so that Artie's screen-lit face was visible to the webcam.

"I was a fool," he murmured. "I'm sorry, Arthur. You were right all along. I'll make it up to you, old friend. Thank you," he said, louder, and Claudia settled the laptop back onto her crossed legs. "I'll search my memory for anything that could restore the Chinese Orchid. Check in with me when you arrive."

"You got it." Claudia terminated the video conference session, then checked time zones. Leena would be awake, but she'd have to use the Farnsworth. The laptop went back, the smaller device came out, and the tech-savvy girl tucked herself into a corner as far away from the sleeping Warehouse agents as the confines of the plane would permit.

Buzz. Buzz. "Claudia! Is something wrong?"

She winced. "You mean, aside from the deadly plague sweeping the globe and Artie still in an artifact coma?"

"I guess I should have been more specific."

"Listen, Leena, I'm going to need you to do something for me and...I'm going to owe you for it."

The tiny image of Leena frowned. "You saved my life by keeping me from following Artie. I found the gun - all the bullets had been fired. He would have shot me. Whatever you need..."

"Wait until I tell you what it is before you tell me I don't owe you," sighed Claudia. "I need Freud's clock first, and I need it in Artie's room."

"That's a dangerous artifact, Claudia."

"I know. But I also need you to go to Hugo Miller's computer lab. There's a terminal there that should be active, and an external hard drive hooked up to it. I need those in Artie's room, too."

"I'm still not seeing where you'd owe me for this."

Claudia couldn't hide her wince. "The terminal is running a holographic projection of James MacPherson."

Even with the image being black and white, the color visibly drained from Leena's face. "MacPherson..."

"There's more. It's not just a projection."

"Claudia..."

"I used the zoetrope to pull MacPherson's mind out of his bronzed body. That's what's stored on the external hard drive."

Weak rage suffused Leena's features, covering up panic. "How could you do that? Why would you think it was a good idea?"

"Because he was Artie's partner!" Claudia protested quietly. "I wanted to give him a chance to get some closure after everything James did, but he was...not in a cooperative mood, so I left him shut off until Artie started acting weird. Leena, he's been helping me figure out what's wrong. He's the one who warned me that The Evil would set up a distraction when it was ready to make its move." She took a breath and said softly, "He's the one who saved your life. I just delivered the message."

She thought about that for a minute. "And now what?"

"And now...I'm hoping he'll help me save Artie."

"How do I shut it down safely so I can move him?"

"There's a power switch, just flip it to off. Thanks, Leena. I-"

"You don't owe me. Artie's not the only one who could use closure."

In the dim confines of the plane, Claudia smiled. "Thanks, Leena."

 

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"Okay, so we're back." Pete sprawled uneasily on a leather chair, with Myka hovering nearby. "Now what?"

Claudia almost, but not quite, flung her bag onto the table. "I hope you got enough rest on the plane, because you've got sixteen hours to find and use something that can put the orchid back together." She swung herself onto the stairs, anxious both to confer with James and to see Artie settled on his bed.

"What about you, Claud?" Myka sounded concerned. "You've been awake for how long?"

Her feet rattled the stairs as she pounded up them. "I'll sleep when I'm dead."

"Not funny," protested Pete.

She glanced at them from the balcony. "It wasn't meant to be."

The four Regent goons who'd carried Artie up filed past her; Leena was alone in Artie's room, wringing her hands over his unresponsive body. When Claudia walked in, she threw herself at the younger woman and they hugged desperately. "Your aura looks better than I was afraid it would," she said in a low, choked voice.

"That's actually kind of reassuring." Claudia gave her a wan smile as they separated, "No problems with James?"

Leena shook her head. "I didn't want to try turning the equipment back on without you, though."

A few seconds to check all the connections, and then the terminal whirred back into life while both women waited impatiently. Suddenly, Claudia cursed and dashed for the keyboard. "Forgot to account for the change in scenery," she said as a strange pole emerged from the floor and MacPherson's image flickered into the space in front of it. "James, what have you got for me?"

"The Count of St. Germaine," he said before looking around. "Arthur's bedroom, I take it? However did he get the piano up here?"

"Long story," said Claudia curtly. "As it turns out, the Count of St. Germaine is what my trans-Atlantic research turned up, as well." Faint voices from downstairs filtered up, and she rubbed her temples briefly. "That's going to be at least one Regent. Okay, listen. I'm going to turn you back off, James, and connect you to the clock. Then I'm going to go downstairs and deal with the Regent or Regents while you, Leena, fuss over Artie because dammit, someone needs to and I've already had my turn. Once I'm sure we won't be interrupted, I'll come back up and we can get started. We'll go into Artie's subconscious, assess the damage, see if we can communicate with him, and determine how to fix it before we lose him because I am not losing him. Any questions?"

Two heads, one bushy and the other holographic, shook.

"Good. I'll be back soon."

Claudia was rattling back down the stairs almost before the ancient terminal had finished powering down. Adwin Kosan and Jane Lattimer were having a quietly intense discussion with the three Warehouse Agents, and a small corner of her mind was glad it was Aunt Jane. Of all the Regents, she had the most faith in and respect for the girl who'd been raised practically in the Warehouse itself. She looked stern and harried, but not worried, which was a good sign. Adwin Kosan looked concerned but not upset, which meant either he hadn't heard how bad things were, or his self-control was still on par with Batman's. Probably the latter.

"..to check on Agent Nielsen," he was saying as she swung off the metal stairs to join their tense little circle.

"No change," she said without preamble. "Pete, Myka, you're looking for the Count of St. Germaine's ring. He's a dude who used to bring dead plants back to life as a party trick for Marie Antoinette. I didn't sleep on the plane," she tossed in Mr. Kosan's direction. "Steve, I want you here at the Warehouse in case something happens and we need an egg that wasn't in the basket with the others. Also to be hands and eyes at the computer in case they need you, because Leena and I are going to use Freud's clock to go into Artie's subconscious and try to save him."

"That's quite a risk, Miss Donovan," Adwin Kosan said in his smooth, cultured voice.

"That's why Leena's going in with me, but I'm positive that the astrolabe didn't possess Artie so much as infect him and cause the evil to grow from his subconscious. I drove The Evil out..."

"And now Artie's mind is swiss cheese," finished Pete with a grim expression.

Jane looked at her with that are you sure? expression she'd seen so many times, the one that wasn't casting doubt so much as asking for confirmation, and promising support no matter what the answer was. Claudia nodded, and she nodded back. "I'll stay as well," she announced. "I can monitor you, Leena, and Artie without tying Agent Jinks's hands."

Seeing that the plan had Regent approval, Mr. Kosan nodded. "Keep me informed of any developments. Dr. Calder is coordinating with the CDC and Mrs. Frederic, who has been in a sterile facility since we learned the orchid might be activated, is remaining there so that if the worst should occur, we don't lose the Warehouse as well."

"Well, that's a cheery thought," muttered Steve.

“Alright, Jinksy, you’re in charge. There’s a professor who wrote a book on the count, and tickets to his college for Pete and Myka reserved in the usual account; go ahead and confirm them. Jane, you’re with me. Any questions?”

Kosan regarded her for a moment as if seeing her for the first time. “Whatever happens, Miss Donovan, you are truly coming into your own and you will make a fine Caretaker when the time comes.”

“If it comes,” she replied bleakly. “Come on, we’ve got a lot of people to save so let’s get to work.”

As Claudia turned back towards the stairs, Myka reached out and grabbed her arm. “Claud…good luck.”

Not trusting herself to speak, Claudia nodded and Myka released her. At the balcony, she paused long enough to see Adwin Kosan vanish into the umbilicus and then led Jane into Artie’s bedroom.

“You already have the clock,” Jane said in a resigned tone, taking in the artifact placed on Artie’s chest, both hands folded over it. “Of course you do. What’s all this?”

Leena glanced at the terminal, then at Claudia.

“Hugo Miller’s backup system,” she said briskly. “I gutted it years ago and repurposed it to allow safe communication with a bronzed person by using the zoetrope to pull their mind out and store it in an external hard drive, then generating a holographic projection. We’re taking James MacPherson with us.”

For a moment, Jane looked like she might object. Then she nodded. “Good thinking; he and Artie were partners for a long time. You girls ready?”

A long cable ran from the terminal to the power socket of EHD; Claudia picked it up and gently attached a shorter one to the USB port. Leena sat on the bed to Artie’s left, and Claudia offered the EHD to her as she sat down to his right. It only took a moment to connect the other end to the bottom of the clock, and then they nodded at each other. Holding the hard drive between them, they simultaneously placed their free hands on the clock and the world vanished.

 

 

“Well,” Caudia said as she looked around, “I guess it worked.”

They were standing in a dream-world version of the Warehouse, with synaptic lights buzzing around the shapes of artifacts and shelves. Specifically, they were just outside the Ovoid Quarantine.

“We’re lucky we’re not in the Dark Vault,” the older girl teased lightly. “James?”

He looked up from examining himself “Hmm? Yes, it’s quite something…I’m sorry, I’m enjoying having a body again. Less than my real one, of course, but more than a holographic one. Frankly, I’d be surprised we aren’t in the Dark Vault, except that I’m fairly certain I know what Arthur keeps there and we do not want to see it.”

“You don’t think it’s where The Evil was?” asked Claudia.

“Whether it was or was not doesn’t matter. We need to find him and assess how bad the damage is.”

“The office,” Leena announced with perfect confidence.

James gestured for her to lead the way, and she did until they turned the first corner and an empty blankness blocked their path.

“That must be where part of The Evil was.” Claudia glanced at the other two and found them as unsettled as she was. “What do you think will happen if we touch it?”

“Only one way to tell,” said James, pushing them gently out of the way. Slowly, he extended one hand into the globular void. There was a rushing flicker, and then the aisle was clear and he was shaking his hand as if it stung. “As I expected.”

Leena looked concerned. “What happened?”

“Well, children, unlike you I have no body for my mind to be tied to. Furthermore, Arthur and I know intimately how the other thinks. I have effectively filled the hole in his mind with the equivalent part of my mind. Yes,” he sighed as they began to protest, “I am prepared to give as much of myself is necessary to save Arthur.”

Unexpectedly, Leena hugged him and awkwardly, he hugged back.

“We have to get to the office,” Claudia reminded them. “Find Artie, make sure there’s enough of him left to save.”

James smiled wryly at them. “Indeed. Shall we?”

At close to the speed of thought, they ran down the aisles they each knew as well as the contours of their own hands. Every time a blank hole presented itself, James stepped forward and allowed a bit of himself to flow out and fill it. By the time they reached the door to the office, he was looking faintly translucent.

“Locked,” Claudia muttered, glaring at it.

Leena let out a tiny gasp. “That’s not the biggest problem. Look!”

When the younger girl turned around, she could see why her friend had sounded shaken. The familiar landscape, limned with synaptic light, had gaping pits of darkness scattered across it…and they were growing. As she watched, the nothingness flowed over the shape of the Ancient Archives, swallowing it entirely.

“No wonder we didn’t encounter any defenses,” James murmured. “He’s dying.”

Frantic now, Claudia turned back to the door and pounded on it with growing panic. “Artie? Artie, let us in!” Hands on her shoulders pulled her away from the door, and the motion jerked her thoughts in a new direction. They were inside his mind. Mind over matter. Claudia focused on the thought that her almost-father, the man who had held her and taught her and raised her, the only constant in more than half her life, was dying. Then she formed that anguish into a spear and hurled it with all her might, willing him to hear her. “ARTIE!!”

The door opened.

“Claudia!” They were standing in the living room of the B&B, which was crowded with what seemed to be everything Claudia remembered and piles of things she didn’t, and Artie was recklessly pushing through the assorted objects to hug her desperately. “Leena,” he breathed, pulling her into the hug. “You’re safe. Thank God. How did you get in here?”

“Freud’s clock,” Leena answered. Claudia was too distraught for words.

Artie gave them one last squeeze and released them. “No, I mean…how did you get in here? The Nothing…”

“Will devour all of Fantasia?” Claudia laughed shakily. “We brought a luck dragon. Sort of.”

It was then that Artie noticed the person who had been lurking by the door. “Hello, Arthur.”

“James…” He took half a step forward, one hand hesitantly outstretched. “How…?”

“Miss Donovan’s handiwork. You did quite a good job with her, partner. I’d planned to take her in when her brother failed to use the Compass correctly, but I daresay she was better off with you.”

Artie shook off the longing and confusion to give his faux-daughter a stern look. “Claudia?”

She wasn’t intimidated by it. “The zoetrope and Hugo’s back-up system. I was going to tell you about it when he was ready to talk like a normal person instead of a Bad Guy, but the astrolabe got you before that happened. He helped me stay one step ahead of you.”

Relief bloomed on his face, blossomed out in a way that shouldn’t be possible except that they were inside his mind. “That’s how you found the astrolabe, that’s how you found the shipping account, that’s how you found…”

“The dagger,” she finished gently. “Artie…when I cast The Evil out of you…”

His eyes closed, the relief transmuting to despair. “That’s what the Nothing is, then. It’s holes in my mind. I was afraid of that…that’s why I pulled all of my memories in here with me, to keep them safe until I can fix the holes."

"It won't work, old friend." James looked like he would rather have stuck his hand in a blender than uttered those words, and while Artie sputtered in pleading confusion, he stepped forward to stand just in front of the man he'd once plotted to kill. "Arthur...you're dying."

"No..." The pudgy man swayed and would have fallen if Leena and Claudia hadn't reached out to hold him up. "It was all for nothing after all. The astrolabe...the orchid...I saved the Warehouse but at the cost of unleashing a global plague, and I won't even survive to set things right again. I'm a failure."

"Pete and Myka are handling the orchid," Leena told him sternly, "and Mrs. Frederic is in a sterile facility. The world and the Warehouse will be fine."

"But do I even deserve to go back to them?"

Claudia blinked back ethereal tears. "When we first met," she sang roughly, "you were all set, but me I was a wreck. You picked me up and cleaned me up and taught me self-respect. Made a mistake but didn't break..." Too choked up to continue, she trailed off, but her pain vibrated somehow in the air like bee stings and burned cookies.

"You need me. Oh, kiddo, I'm so sorry."

"Arthur."

Artie looked up at his old partner, then looked at him. "James...why are you...?"

"Fading?"

"S-something like that, yes."

"I've been filling your holes," he said calmly. "Arthur, if we're to save you, we need to act fast."

"Filling my- but if you-"

"Arthur! Do you honestly think that after everything I've done, the Regents will ever allow me to be unbronzed? Do you think..." He glanced briefly away, anguished. "Do you think that after everything I've done, I want to stay bronzed, knowing that my partner is dying, when with a little self-sacrifice, I can save you?"

For a moment, Artie looked furious. Then that melted away to reflect the expression on his old friend's face. "James...if you do that, what will happen to you?"

"Does it matter? You're dying! If you do...Arthur, I was wrong. You were right. I have so much to atone for, and no way of doing it. No way...except this. Whatever happens to me, I want you to live, but..." He laughed shakily. "Old friend...I suspect that you won't be rid of me so easily."

Artie swallowed. "Thank you, James."

He and James stepped forward at the same time to embrace, something Claudia knew Artie had wanted to do for at least fifteen years. As they touched, the already-translucent shape of the taller man faded even more and intangible whooshing filled the room. James MacPherson faded to an outline, like a transporter from a Star Trek rerun in reverse, and then there were only sparkles.

 

 

Claudia opened her eyes and found herself sitting on Artie's bed, staring into Leena's equally-startled face. Their hands hovered over the clock, as if they'd been pulled away from a hot surface, and Jane was hurrying forward with gloved hands to snatch it off Artie's chest.

"Well?" she half-demanded.

Leena took a shaky breath. "It worked," she said. "I think. Claudia?"

Claudia had dropped the EHD and was hovering frantically over Artie, calling his name. An unintelligible grumble answered her, and when she hugged him, his arm came up to hug back.

"It worked," Leena deadpanned. "How long were we in?"

"Sixty-three minutes. How bad...?"

The faint amusement drained from Leena's face. "He was dying. MacPherson gave everything he had to fix the damage."

"I'm all right," Artie muttered to the girl trying to weep quietly into his chest. "Just need to sort myself out. Go save the world."

"We'll get Dr. Vanessa up here tomorrow," Claudia promised tearfully. "Check you out and then check you out. She missed you."

"I missed her," he sighed. "Go on. I need to sleep."

Jane herded the other two out of the room the way only a mother can, reassuring Claudia that she would watch Artie.

"Claud!" Steve looked up from the computer as they came down the stairs. "How's Artie?"

She made a beeline for her bag. "He says he's fine. I reserve the right to continue calling bullshit if I see it. Pete and Myka?"

"Just touched down. Their appointment is in two hours. You should get some rest."

As expected, they'd had the foresight to take Artie's bag with them. Luckily, she'd had the foresight to take the stethoscope out. "Not until I make sure Artie's okay."

He gave her the gay puppy eyes. "And then you'll rest?"

"Rest nothing. I'll be crashed out on the couch."

"And I," Leena announced while Claudia headed back up the stairs, "will be by shortly with food because I doubt any of you have eaten in the last twelve hours."

Steve's rueful laugh echoed behind the future Caretaker as she slipped through the doorway. Jane stepped out into the hall with one eyebrow raised, wordlessly demanding an explanation.

"I need to know," she whispered, holding the artifact up. "This showed me the problem. I need to know that the solution is working and then I'll sleep, I promise."

"Alright," Jane said in a stern, low voice. "But only because I agree."

Claudia was already breathing on the chestpiece to warm it up when the older woman moved out of the way, and with practiced silence she crept towards Artie’s slumbering form until she could press the metal against one outflung hand. The music of his soul looped and swooped in the same tune she'd known by heart since the age of twelve, but while some sections contained the same familiar notes, the timbre of them was richer, as though played by a different instrument. There were some notes she didn't recognize, little flourishes and backbeats that she took for the parts of James that didn't merely fill holes, but the music was whole. Artie really was okay. She crept out just as quietly as she'd crept in and nodded, beaming, to Jane. The tight, warm hug she got wasn't entirely a surprise.

"Now sleep," Jane murmured in her ear before letting go.

She stood guard with a disapproving look until Claudia slunk out to the balcony and curled up on the couch, where sleep ambushed her immediately.

 

=========================

 

When Claudia woke up, the first thought on her mind was the stethoscope. It had fallen to the floor while she’d slept, and a glance through the railings showed Jane chatting with Leena and Steve down in the office. Perfect. She snatched it up and slipped through the door before anyone could notice her. Artie’s room was dark, but that didn’t stop her. She breathed on the chestpiece to warm it and waited for her eyes to adjust before moving carefully forward and laying it on Artie’s outflung hand – the other one, this time. His music swooped and flourished and looped, and she couldn’t help letting out a sigh of relief.

“You okay, kiddo?” Artie asked quietly.

Claudia fought her pulse back down. “Don’t do that!”

He laughed and sat up, and it didn’t take more than a gesture before she was sitting on the bed next to him, head on his chest, trying not to cry from relief.

“I’m alright,” he reassured her softly.

She  sniffled. “I know.”

“Hey, Claudia, can you…hear James?”

“Well…I never got a chance to hear his music, but there’s some extra stuff in yours now that I assume is his. Why?”

“B-because I can…feel him. Somehow. Inside me. Like I felt The Evil, towards the end. He’s…content. We were apart for so long, and this is the only way I can have my partner back, and he’s okay with that. He’d rather be a part of me than a bronze statue.” Artie frowned. “Claudia…who is the Count of Saint Germaine, and why does James want to know if you found his ring?”

She laughed; she couldn’t help it. “It brings dead plants back to life.”

“Ah, that explains it.” He paused. “Claudia…when The Evil was controlling me…did I…say anything? To you?”

“It tried to hurt me,” she said evasively. “It wasn’t you. You don’t remember?”

“No. When you cast it out…I only know when it was in control because my memories have holes.”

“Probably better that way, Artie. It wasn’t you, we all know it wasn’t you, and you shouldn’t beat yourself up over things you didn’t do.” She hugged him again, and he hugged back.

“Yeah, you’re right. I think I’m going to sleep some more; I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck.”

Claudia kissed his temple. “Okay. I’m going to see what Leena brought for food. I’ll wake you when the world is safe again.”

He chuckled as he lay back down. “Thanks, kiddo.”

Steve looked up from the computer as Claudia rattled down the stairs. "Hey, Claud! Welcome back to the land of the...awake. The land of the awake." His eyes had that slightly-panicked look he always got when he tried to keep information to himself.

"Nice catch," she tossed his way as she swung around into the kitchen area. "How long have I been out?"

"Six hours," Leena called from the table. "There's chicken, potatoes, biscuits, and corn in the fridge."

"Sweet!" Wasting no time, the younger woman grabbed a plate and loaded it before joining the other two at the table. "So what have I missed?"

"Uhh...Pete and Myka met with that Sutton guy - apparently he was drunk - and talked him into helping them find the ring." Steve checked the monitor. "They're on their way to Paris to find the Count's tomb in the catacombs."

"Sounds fun." Claudia's voice dripped with sarcasm. "So here's the deal with Artie: he's fine. He doesn't remember anything The Evil did with his body. There was a lot of psychological damage, it's been patched up, but if anyone blames him for anything The Evil did, I'm going to stab them with a fork. He's just as much a victim as any of us are."

Quietly, Leena said, "More. I know what it's like to have something else inside your mind, controlling your thoughts and your body."

Jane squared her shoulders. "That brings us back around to James MacPherson. Breathe," she said as Claudia choked on a mouthful of chicken and potatoes.

Although he didn't quite leave the desk, Steve scooted the chair closer. "Someone want to fill me in? What does MacPherson have to do with any of this?"

"He was my partner. Breathe," Artie said from the balcony as Claudia choked again. "I couldn't sleep. Leena's biscuits called to me," he added grandly as he descended, waving for Steve to stay where he was. "And now...he's what filled the holes left when Claudia cast The Evil out of me. Without him, I would have died."

Steve didn't look convinced. "Artie, wasn't he kind of...bronzed?"

"Where there is a devil-child, there is a way."

"Don't waste your accusing look." Claudia waved a half-eaten chicken leg at the both of them. "I had Mrs. F.'s blessing on it."

"So you did-" Artie stopped short, looking startled. Then he looked disgruntled. "That's going to take some getting used to," he grumped, adding under his breath, "You better not give me your sens- I don't care! I don't want- never mind."

Leena looked fascinated. "He really is in there. MacPherson," she added with a glance at the still-unconvinced Jinks. "I know, you're doubting the wisdom of having anything to do with an ex-Warehouse agent with his...distinguished...record."

"Just say tarnished and get it over with," Artie said cheerfully, a biscuit in one hand and the teapot in the other. "He's not denying any of it. Apparently, being metaphorically clotheslined by someone he'd thought of as a pawn made him reconsider his viewpoint on a lot of things. Anyone else for tea? No? Okay."

"So," Steve said, trying and failing to sound nonchalant, "James MacPherson is currently living in Artie's head? And everyone is okay with this?"

Jane snorted. "I can't say I'm completely comfortable with the idea, but the choice wasn't mine to make - not even as a Regent. As Claudia said, Mrs. Frederic was on board with the failed attempt to rehabilitate James and Claudia is co-Caretaker. Even Adwin Kosan can't override the two of them together."

"I had the opportunity to talk to him while the rest of you were flying back," Leena said with a hint of smugness. "There were a lot of things I had to say to him. In the end, though, I think he's exactly where he needs to be...both for Artie, and for himself. Putting his mind back in his own body wouldn't have accomplished anything constructive. As part of Artie, he can help both of them heal."

Steve still wasn't convinced. "Artie - and James, if you're in there and listening, especially if you're in there and listening - you come over here and look me in the eyes and tell me that James MacPherson isn't a threat to the Warehouse or any Warehouse agent or the Regents as a whole."

Artie straightened in a way that Claudia recognized from watching James; judging by Leena's wide eyes, she wasn't imagining that her almost-father was walking with a gait not his own when he crossed the office floor to stand calmly before the human lie detector.

"I am not a threat to Arthur, the Warehouse, any Warehouse agent, or the Regents as a whole. I bow to the will of the Caretaker, be that Mrs. Frederic or Miss Donovan."

"You're telling the truth," Steve breathed. "Also, that was weird."

Artie shook his head and scowled. "You're telling me. We have got to work out boundaries." As he went back to the kitchen and took the kettle off the stove, he muttered half-phrases and choked-back exclamations that, infuriatingly, no one else could make out.

Claudia scraped up the last bite of potatoes and said, “At least now when he does that, I know he’s talking to someone else.”

The other three stifled laughter while Artie growled, “I heard that!”